Charlotte's Library

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June written by Robin Benway I loved  this book.  Even more than I liked Audrey, Wait ! , Benway's first big hit.  I had just finished watching The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and was in desperate need for a fix of lovable sisters, and April, May, and June filled that hole right in.  I loved the authentic dynamic between the three siblings, and while I really wished their powers had been more fleshed out, I thought they were remarkably well-developed, interesting characters.  Each sister had her own persona, and the three of them fit together wonderfully.  Some of the book was kind of predictable, but that definitely didn't ruin the fun--it actually seemed to add to it, knowing what was going to happen but waiting to see how the sisters would react.  The dialogue was snappy and so real!  I loved this book so much. Rating: 4.5/5 Also by Robin Benway: Audrey, Wait! I got this book from...:

Fray written by Joss Whedon So here's the mistake I made going into this book.  I forgot that Joss Whedon has the impeccable ability to make me cry with everything he does.  Right.  This is no exception.  You missed the plot twists from Buffy?  Never fear.  This comic's got them around every corner, some predictable, most coming out of nowhere, especially the most heartbreaking one on the very last page.  Beyond that, it's really cool to see how the world has evolved since Buffy.  Granted, I would have really liked to have seen more of the Slayer mythology, but it was still neat to see what we got to see.  I'm pretty grateful that the opportunity was even given for a sequel of sorts to Buffy, that being said, I think it's time for me to go back to reading the Season 8 comics.  Give this one the careful read it deserves if you were a Buffy fan, though, and even if you weren't, the story's accessible to newbies, too. I got this book from.....

Dancing on the Edge written by Han Nolan Dancing on the Edge  had a slow start, and for the first 2/3rds of the novel, I was thinking, of course, this is your typical award novel fodder--missing parents, coming of age for a young girl, ~symbolic~ names and colors and weather events.  But the last section of the book, wow.  The lead-up redeems itself in the pay-off, where Miracle's psyche is finally fully realized, not just for the reader, but for Miracle herself.  It's still all the typical coming of age awards fodder, but for once, it comes with a satisfying ending where the resolution delves into the true effects early abandonment can have on a child, rather than just having it be a convenient plot device.  Trope finally beautifully subverted.  Nolan clearly had this whole story planned out from the start, and the effort in the writing shows.  This is a careful book about a careful and miraculous girl.  Honestly, though, I could see this being r...

Dualed (Dualed #1) by Elsie Chapman   The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life. Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her. Elsie Chapman's suspenseful YA debut weaves unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and thought-provoking philosoph...

Crash written by Lisa McMann **contains spoilers** I really didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did.  Supernatural YAs are getting kind of repetitive, but I ended up loving the originality of this one.  Like, yeah, visions are a repetitive thing, and I think I would have liked the book even more if it had turned out that she was exhibiting signs of schizophrenia or another mental illness, but that's because I'm a sucker for any and all books portraying MI.  I think the one thing that ultimately sold me on the visions was the ending, where they ended up jumping ship to Sawyer.  I was worried with it being a series that it would just be Jules having a vision per book with no point to them, but it'll be cool to see the repercussions of them jumping from person to person somehow.  I also like that, much like her Wake series, each character has such a well-developed persona.  I loved reading about Jules' siblings, and can't wait to hear more about them...